So I have yakked a lot in the first 4 posts about embracing change. President Trump may have not been your choice for President and on top of that, you might not like him as a person. You may even really dislike him. Sometimes our anger and frustration gets in the way of our seeing the big picture. We can not see the opportunities that can emerge from critical change catalysts. If you can look past the political and social knee-jerk reactions presented in the press, you will be able to better see both present and near-term opportunities given President Trump being sworn into office.
President Trump does not have a scattered game plan (with malice at it's core) as presented by the liberal media. Recognize that many of the initial positions he takes are really just part of a negotiating tactic that a sophisticated business person would deploy. He is identifying a starting point for a "business" negotiation that is advantageous to him (and to the US for that matter). Some sound very extreme, like dropping trade agreements such as NAFTA which sounds highly protectionism-oriented. NAFTA will just be a re-negotiation of the original deal. His goal is to shock and manipulate the other negotiating parties into focusing on his starting point. He wants to keep them off balance and then for them to be "appreciative" even when the end negotiation favors the US. I will go into more detail in future posts on critical issues such as trade; manufacturing; immigration; education; defense; the environment; etc. Remember, he is not a polished politician (that's actually a big check in the positive column). The uncertainty that is created works to his advantage. That same uncertainty unsettles a lot of people. Many "Have's" just see this type of maneuvering as an opportunity - nothing more and nothing less. The "Have's" I am talking about are democrats, republicans, US citizens, foreign citizens, etc. The "Have's" that are democrats may pay Trump a lot of lip service in the public press but behind the scenes are quickly maneuvering like republican "Have's". There is no discernible difference in their approach and tactics. They will identify opportunities and move forward on them.
Also, let me clarify the word "opportunity". If you asked a "Have" what does the word "opportunity" mean to them, the majority would equate the word with "money-making". Because I have a business background and specifically I worked on Wall Street, you may think I am only talking about opportunity in that money-making context. I am not. I would include financial gain in my equation, but more importantly, I am also talking about the opportunity for positive societal, environmental, educational, international/cultural and business change. I would include the following sub-categories as being critically important to focus on: healthcare, human rights, gender, racial, have-not, immigration, etc.
So, what is so unique about the change potential associated with a Trump presidency? Answers: There is one party in control of Congress and the Presidency (no real log jam). Also, Trump is a business person/entrepreneur having never been elected to any previous office. He's not a trained politician. He negotiates out in the open, dirty laundry and all. It might be unsettling seeing him twitter or speak without a script and with afinite number of vocabulary words but he is stating his thoughts openly, and his style is to dramatically reduce the "politician double-speak". The cabinet has some atypical candidates (that's good). Trump has openly stated that he wants to "drain the swamp". Changing Washington DC (even if ever so slightly) would be a huge positive (and a powerful backdrop for change).
The most important factor that will drive change and the emergence of new opportunities will be a more robust economy. The core republican economic philosophy of less taxes, less regulation, less politicians, and less bureaucracy is going to be the main driver of a healthier and more vigorous economy. The key question will be: what needs to be done not to leave the "Have-nots" further behind and what ensures that positive change in the areas I identified earlier comes to fruition. This will all be covered in detail in future posts.
Best, DP
